Good Experience with Tirerack & Ronal?
12-06-2002, 07:51 AM
#21
Craggy Old Man
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Re: Have had good dealings with Gary @Ronal.
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Well, if 18", most run 235/40-18 since its close to stock diameter. In my case I run 235/40-18 S03's on 18x8 front ET35mm, rear is 18x9 ET 31mm. My rear wheels have a slightly wider lip than the fronts. This does create some hassle due to when you want to rotate you need to dismount the tires, when going front to back. To make it easy you can go with ET35mm all 4 corners if you want.
You could also run 18x8 front with 235/40-18 and run 265/35-18 rears on 18x9 ET35mm, that would give you a staggered tire look but with quattro some say there is an issue. I havent check the fitment for 265/35-18's at the rear yet.'
Chris JB was running 255's I think maybe he can give you some thoughts on that.
In the 18" size the LZ's weigh in at 29lbs. heavy, but real strong. I am running these with the Eibach springs and the ride is still plenty good.
THey fit over the stoptech brakes.
THe 235/40-18 S03 on the front so far has not rubbed. I have actually on the front 18X8 ET40mm but they were flexing some and just barely clipping the calipers, so a spacer is being used in the mean time. I think ET37mm would fit fine with this setup.
I would call Gary at Ronal and talk to him and ask him for his thoughts. Let him know that Joe(blue A6) sent you and maybe that will double the price!!! j/k
For some reason the 18" seems to be a good size for a car this big. But you would get a better ride with the 17's and less likely banging up a wheel. 17" wheels are very nice also. I just like the sidewall height of the 235/40-18's, seems right. Then again for the track I went with 17's !!! LOL
Well, if 18", most run 235/40-18 since its close to stock diameter. In my case I run 235/40-18 S03's on 18x8 front ET35mm, rear is 18x9 ET 31mm. My rear wheels have a slightly wider lip than the fronts. This does create some hassle due to when you want to rotate you need to dismount the tires, when going front to back. To make it easy you can go with ET35mm all 4 corners if you want.
You could also run 18x8 front with 235/40-18 and run 265/35-18 rears on 18x9 ET35mm, that would give you a staggered tire look but with quattro some say there is an issue. I havent check the fitment for 265/35-18's at the rear yet.'
Chris JB was running 255's I think maybe he can give you some thoughts on that.
In the 18" size the LZ's weigh in at 29lbs. heavy, but real strong. I am running these with the Eibach springs and the ride is still plenty good.
THey fit over the stoptech brakes.
THe 235/40-18 S03 on the front so far has not rubbed. I have actually on the front 18X8 ET40mm but they were flexing some and just barely clipping the calipers, so a spacer is being used in the mean time. I think ET37mm would fit fine with this setup.
I would call Gary at Ronal and talk to him and ask him for his thoughts. Let him know that Joe(blue A6) sent you and maybe that will double the price!!! j/k
For some reason the 18" seems to be a good size for a car this big. But you would get a better ride with the 17's and less likely banging up a wheel. 17" wheels are very nice also. I just like the sidewall height of the 235/40-18's, seems right. Then again for the track I went with 17's !!! LOL
12-06-2002, 08:08 AM
#23
AudiWorld Super User
Not really, but I think a relationship with a local tire dealer...
is a bonus if the tires are only a few bucks more than Tirerack. I have been able to get better deals on tires when mentioning Tirerack pricing.
It's possible to save substantially on the mounting and balancing process if you buy the tires locally. Plus the local dealer might look harder at a balance problem especially if you have a defective tire bought from them.
On the other hand if you are buying a tire/wheel package then you can get great deals shipped to your door. Hopefully they were balanced properly.
It's possible to save substantially on the mounting and balancing process if you buy the tires locally. Plus the local dealer might look harder at a balance problem especially if you have a defective tire bought from them.
On the other hand if you are buying a tire/wheel package then you can get great deals shipped to your door. Hopefully they were balanced properly.
12-06-2002, 08:24 AM
#24
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Have purchased from both, and had good experiences with both. TireRack provided very personal...
service, and meet my ridiculous delivery demands. I've meet Gary at Ronal personally, and he can come-off as a little cold and withdrawn, but as a vendor he's topnotch.
12-06-2002, 08:25 AM
#25
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I have had good experiences with both . . .
Tirerack( Eddie): I have purchased about $4k in wheels and tires from Tirerack and Eddie specifically. He was very helpful and accomodating. I was satisfied with their representations and received what I paid for and expected. The wheels were no good for Boston roads but it was my choice so that is my error(Boston is bad on all wheels however). The pricing was competitive and fair IMO.
RONAL: I too at first thought Gary was a little abrasive but that changed after spending a little more time talking to him. He is just kind of dry IMO. I myself am the same way so maybe I'm more understanding. I called him one day at around 8:00-9:00a.m. Eastern (Saturday) and was shocked when he answered the phone considering he is on the west coast.
During that conversation he was all business but also threw in some humor and discussed a bit about what he was doing and the company as well. He also spent some time talking me into trying Nokian Tires. I have no regrets because the Nokians are incredible and the pricing was very competitive. I have spent about $2K with Ronal but only because I have been hesitating to spend any more money on wheels/tires until next year.
I am planning to go with Ronal because I have been very impressed with the durability and performance of the RT wheel. It is strong, light(relatively), and for some reason repels brake dust. Also the tires were mounted perfectly on the wheels with little weighting and they are smooth as silk at all speeds.
IMO as long as you have a good idea what you need and want either of these companies can get you the product at a very good price. I recommend doing the wheels/tires combined unless you have a good and trusted local shop.
The only downside comes if you don't spend the time and money to prepare your garage to properly change the wheels. You should buy a good floor jack and some jack stands. Spend the money on a good torque wrench and also on a good coated metric T bar. All of this will cost less than $250 one time and will make changing the setup(s) more efficient and safe.
Be careful with the OEM jack. Some here have had them collapse.
Good luck.
Bri
RONAL: I too at first thought Gary was a little abrasive but that changed after spending a little more time talking to him. He is just kind of dry IMO. I myself am the same way so maybe I'm more understanding. I called him one day at around 8:00-9:00a.m. Eastern (Saturday) and was shocked when he answered the phone considering he is on the west coast.
During that conversation he was all business but also threw in some humor and discussed a bit about what he was doing and the company as well. He also spent some time talking me into trying Nokian Tires. I have no regrets because the Nokians are incredible and the pricing was very competitive. I have spent about $2K with Ronal but only because I have been hesitating to spend any more money on wheels/tires until next year.
I am planning to go with Ronal because I have been very impressed with the durability and performance of the RT wheel. It is strong, light(relatively), and for some reason repels brake dust. Also the tires were mounted perfectly on the wheels with little weighting and they are smooth as silk at all speeds.
IMO as long as you have a good idea what you need and want either of these companies can get you the product at a very good price. I recommend doing the wheels/tires combined unless you have a good and trusted local shop.
The only downside comes if you don't spend the time and money to prepare your garage to properly change the wheels. You should buy a good floor jack and some jack stands. Spend the money on a good torque wrench and also on a good coated metric T bar. All of this will cost less than $250 one time and will make changing the setup(s) more efficient and safe.
Be careful with the OEM jack. Some here have had them collapse.
Good luck.
Bri
12-06-2002, 10:15 AM
#27
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Good points
I try whenever possible to keep local businesses in business, so I would give the local tire guy(s) a chance to at least come close to Tire Rack, esp. since you always need someone to do the balance and install. And when there are problems, you can't have someone jump out of your computer and try to fix them.
I once asked Tire Rack why local shops would agree to become recommended installers, since they lose the tire/wheel sale, and TR kinda tap danced around it and said they still make money off the install.
I once asked Tire Rack why local shops would agree to become recommended installers, since they lose the tire/wheel sale, and TR kinda tap danced around it and said they still make money off the install.
12-06-2002, 11:45 AM
#28
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TR local installers
I bought a set of winter tires a couple weeks ago from a local shop. At first I was going to buy the tires out of state and was just looking for a local shop to mount and balance them on my wheels. While looking for a shop with a GSP9700, I found out they carried the Nokian tires I wanted. Their price was higher, but the cost to mount and balance was lower. In the end, it cost me a little more to go local, but I also prefer to do that whenever I can.
While at their shop I mentioned I saw they did installations for Tire Rack, and asked them for their impressions. They said TR sought them out and they get 4-5 installations per week from TR. I don't know what % of that business they might have captured without TR funneling, but I bet it is not that high. It probably helps to keep the 9700 busy.
While at their shop I mentioned I saw they did installations for Tire Rack, and asked them for their impressions. They said TR sought them out and they get 4-5 installations per week from TR. I don't know what % of that business they might have captured without TR funneling, but I bet it is not that high. It probably helps to keep the 9700 busy.
